LeBeau's Eleven
by ApollaCammi
Summary: CO-WRITTEN BY KittKatt001. AU. Everyone met when they were pulling a job about ten years ago. Remy, the ringleader, was caught five years later and just got out of jail. Already planning another heist, he has gathered the old crew together...
1. The Crew

IMPORTANT AN: This was co-written by me and my sis, KittKatt001.

AN: An AU story. The mutants are still mutants but have expertise in areas of thieving; they met when pulling a job about 10 years ago.

Pairings are Amryo, Romy, Jott, Kurtty, Evan/Tabby. A parody of the movie "Ocean's Eleven".

Disclaimer: We do not own X:men or Ocean's Eleven.

Characters are:

Scott= Saul /Lyman Zerga

BoomBoom= Basher

Kurt and Kitty= Turk and Virgil Malloy

Jamie= Linus

Amara= Yen

Rogue= Tess

Pietro= Terry Benedict

Wanda= Reuben

Remy= Danny Ocean 

Pyro= Rusty

Jean= Livingston

Evan= Frank Catton

The three commissioners watched as the prisoner was led in. "So, Mr. LeBeau." The woman said. "We are reviewing you for parole. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Well," began Remy, "My wife left me and I fell into a self destructive pattern."

"So this won't happen again?"

"She already left Remy once, I doubt she'd do it again just for kicks."

"Well then, your parole starts immediately. Contact your parole officer everyday and don't leave town."

"Of course. Thank you."

~New Jersey~

Remy walked into the casino. "Chips please."

"Change is $1.50. Quarters or nickels?"

"Quarters."

"Good luck." Remy picked up his cards and looked over. There was a young man talking to the manager there, he lifted his hand slightly as he walked over and tapped the dealer on the shoulder.

"I'm on break now." The dealer said to Remy. "Bye."

"Hey Evan." The man looked at him.

"I'm sorry. My name is Ramone. You must have been mistaken."

"Right. Sorry."

"If you're looking for a game, the bar gets busy around one."

"One? Thanks."

~One o'clock~

"Hey."

"Hey. Come on. Let's go." Remy grabbed his coat and followed him out the door.

"So, _Ramone_" Remy said. "What's with the name?"

"Evan Daniels had a few run-ins with the Gaming Commission."

"Oh. You seen John lately?"

"Yeah. You're pulling something?"

"Going to Vegas for a bit."

"I'll transfer down there. He's teaching hyped up celebrities how to play cards."

~~~

"No mates. Poker is a game played with five cards." Pyro said, exasperatedly. "Ya can't have six." Almost all of the celebrities gathered in the room put a card- or two or three- down on the table.

"Deal." One of them said to Pyro, and he distributed cards all around.

"Hey guys! Look!" One of the guys put his hand down. "All reds." The others handed their money over and Pyro felt like hitting his head on the table. What had he ever done to deserve this?

~~~

"Y' shouldn't be doing somethin' like this, Remy t'inks." Pyro turned as he exited.

"Gambit- when did you get out of the clinker?"

"Y'sterday. Enjoying m' newfound freedom." They climbed into the car.

"How was the joint? Did you get the cookies I sent?"

"Why do you think I came to see you first?"

"So what's the deal mate?"

"I have a proposition."

~~~

"Thanks Bern. No worries, homme, nothing's going to happen to them." He clasped the blueprints in his hands and led Pyro to an empty room.

"Mate- no offense or anything, but why are we here?" In answer, Remy spread out the blueprints, Pyro lent in to get a closer look.

"This looks like the Bellagio's vault blueprints."

"Ah mon ami, these _are the Bellagio's blueprints."_

"If I'm reading this right- and I like to think I am- this is the most inaccessible vault in the world."

"It is." Remy agreed. He took them over to a copier and made a copy.

"So then why are we looking at them?" Pyro asked as they headed back into the main room, and Remy handed the prints back to the guard.

"Here Bern, mon ami. Thanks for the loan."

"This," he said to Pyro as they got in the elevator, "-is our new job."

"Oh no." Pyro said, walking out of the elevator. "You are crazy, Gambit, mate. Goddamn crazy. No- not helping you this time." Remy looked at him.

"Ok ami, you can just head back to teaching clueless celebrities how to poker."

"Did I say you were crazy? I meant you were brilliant. So, how exactly are we going to do this?"

~~~

"Hello, we're here to see Ms. Maximoff. We're old friends of de chére." Remy turned his charm up, and the maid blushed and led them to the backyard, where Wanda was sunbathing by the pool.

"Madam, there are some visitors for you." Wanda did not even look up.

"Thank you Amy. You may go." Remy approached her carefully.

"Hello Wanda." Hearing the voice, she shot up. "Remy?" she took the sunglasses off. "John? Give me one reason I shouldn't hex you until you can't move."

"Ah, chére, we have a proposition for you that might spark your interest."

She spoke warily (which is always a good idea when dealing with Remy) "What is it Gambit?"

"Well," he turned to Pyro. "Why don't you explain it?"

"We're going to pull a job. Remy here just got out and wants to pull one last one before going straight y'know, sheila, and he found the best place to hit…"

"Just get on with it!" Wanda snapped.

"Right. So anyways, we were thinking of hitting three o' the casinos in Vegas." Wanda looked at them incredulously.

"Casinos? Don't make me laugh. Do you know how many people have actually managed to rob a casino? Hundreds. And only three have ever gotten close. The first guy got a few steps. The second guy felt fresh air on his face. And the third got all the way down the driveway. But no one's ever gotten away with it. What makes you think you can do three at the same time?"

"They ain't n'ver met Remy and John now have they? So, will you help?"

"No. Now get out." The two rose and headed for the door. "Just out of curiosity, where were you geniuses planning on hitting?"

Remy turned around. "The Mirage, the..." he turned to Pyro. "The Bellagio, and the MGM Grand." John supplied.

"Right. The Bellagio and the MGM Grand." Wanda looked at them.

"Those are my brother's." Remy and John exchanged glances.

"So they are." John said.

"Why are you after his casinos?"

"One reason: he deserves it. All we need is a backer with a grudge against him- which shouldn't be hard considering half of Vegas is out to get him."

"I changed my mind. How much do you need, and when do you start?"

~~~

"Who are we going to get?" Pyro asked.

"What about Storm and Wolverine?"

"Nah. They got out a few months ago."

"Really? Why?"

"'Roro got pregnant."

"Didn't see that coming."

"Neither did the rest of us."

"Mags?"

"Dead."

"No shit. Probably couldn't have used him anyway." They both shrugged and continued on down the list.

"Toad?"

"He's in the game but his hygiene hasn't improved. You can smell him a half mile away."

Remy wrinkled his nose, remembering the smell. "Evan, sorry, _Ramone__ is transferring- he says the dry weather would be better for his health."_

"An inside person is always an advantage, and Evan good at them." Pause. "What do you think about Fuzzy for transportation? Course, now you have to take his girl too, but she ain't that bad."

"Who's the girl?"

"Kitty. You remember her right?"

Remy thought about it for a minute. "Ah,oui, she was Rogue's friend. Dey in den?"

"We can ask. I'm bettin' they'll say yes."

"Good."

"Technology?"

Remy thought about it. "How's Red?"

"Not as stuck up anymore."

"We'll get her then. The only reason we never used her was because she always acted like she a stick up her ass. But now that she's loosened up…" Remy trailed off.

"I'll call her." John said, grinning.

"Explosives?"

"Easy. BoomBoom. Although availability might be a problem."

~~~

"Ready?" BoomBoom asked. The others nodded.

"Hold on to your knickers." She said, putting her hands together. Cherry bombs appeared in her hands, and she threw them at the door. It exploded. Tabby headed into the vault, and the alarms jangled.

"You had one job! One! Get rid of the alarms! Damn tossers." BoomBoom said, standing in the vault.

~

"Stand here." The officer said, leading Tabby to one of the cars. Just then John came towards them. He held up an ID.

"Bobby Towers. FBI. I see you caught them. Little cherry bombs?" he asked the officer.

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"It's her standard MO. Hello, Tabitha. Did you search her for booby traps?" He took the officers silence as a no. "Get me Findlay."

"Who?"

"Just find him!" John snapped. He undid their handcuffs after the officer walked away and waited as Tabby placed a cherry bomb or two under the car. He led them away quickly.

"Great to be working with proper villains again." Tabby said, crowing when the car exploded.

"Weren't expecting that shit were ya!"

~~~

"Scott?"

"Haven't heard from him, but I know he's in California." Pyro said.

"Will he do it?" Remy asked.

"Don't know."

"You could ask him."

"Hey" said Pyro, turning the car. "I could ask him."

~~~

'Which one is Amara? Haven't seen her in years."

"That's her. The acrobat."

"They're all acrobats, homme."

Pyro grinned in appreciation. "The one who's up right now."

Remy looked at her. "That doesn't seem so hard." Just then she flipped halfway across the stage.

"We got a grease girl." Remy said.

"We got a grease girl." Pyro agreed.

~California~

"Hey Scott."

"What now John? Why are you here? I was trying to enjoy myself."

"Ya hurt my feelings mate. I jus' wanted to ask you something."

"A job?"

"C'mon. I've got box seats."

"So," Scott said when they arrived at the seats. "What's the job?"

John leaned over and whispered in his ear. He dropped a plane ticket on Scott's lap "Red'll be there." He said and left. Scott stared at the ticket meditatively.

~~~

Remy and John were in a bar. John, exhausted, had his head down on the bar.

"And Scott makes ten. D' y' think we need one more?"

John didn't answer.

"You think we need one more."

Again, John didn't answer.

"Ok, we'll get one more."


	2. The Plan

Chapter 2

~Chicago~

Remy was watching a college age student on the other side of the train. He was studying hard and as the train lurched, he fell against a business man beside him. What Remy saw, and the rest of the train didn't, was the student pocket his wallet. He smiled. As they were getting off the train, he borrowed the wallet and dropped a business card in the man's pocket.

~

As Jamie walked out of the subway station, he reached into his pocket for the wallet. Feeling nothing but paper, he pulled it out. _Nice Pull. Meet me at The Dancer's Pub. _On the other side was _Remy LeBeau._ He sighed and headed for the pub. How the hell did he get himself into situations like this?

"Hey, saw your pull back there. Nice."

Jamie looked at him. "I know who you are, what I want to know is why you're here." 

"You're either in or you're out, right now." Remy put an airline ticket on the table, his hand on top of it, covering the destination. 

"What is it?"

"Job offer." The waitress came up and he tipped her, his hand still on the ticket.

"Las Vegas huh?" Jamie turned the ticket over in his hands.

Remy looked shocked. "Good. Very good. Dat's de best pull Remy's seen y' do yet. Bobby said y' were good, but didn't tell me how good."

"Guess he didn't tell you then?" Jamie's voice held a hint of anger.

"Tell me what?"

"I'm his son. He doesn't want me trading on his name though."

"Petit, if you can pull this off, you don't have to worry about that," Remy told him.

"I'm coming." His voice challenged Remy to protest.

"Bon. See you in Sin City kid."

~Wanda's house~

*Ding dong* Wanda glared at her door but got up to answer it. When it opened, it revealed Scott, Tabby, Evan, Jamie, Amara, Jean, Kurt and Kitty standing on her front step.

"What, did you get a group rate or something?" Wanda scowled at them. She grudgingly let them in and pointed them towards the backyard.

"Oh lookit the spread!" Tabby squealed, taking in the backyard. "You haven't done half bad, huh Wanda?" she flopped down on a lawn chair and stretched. Kitty and Amara also joined her.

"Hey Jean!" Tabby called. "Come join us!" Jean shook her head and headed for the food, grabbing some fruit and some champagne, perching on the end of a chair on the other side of the pool.

"Party pooper." Kitty waved Kurt over. "Fuzzy, can you pass me some wine? Thanks." Evan plopped down next to Tabby, forcing her to sit up.

"Haven't seen you in a while Tabs. How's life been?"

"Same old, same old Spyke. Boring without ya." She flashed him a smile.

"Now that's what's been missing…" Evan said. "Huh. Never would have thought." He tilted his head back, thinking. Suddenly he looked at Kurt, and they grinned at each other. Evan scooped up Tabby, as Kurt grabbed Kitty. They swung them around and released them over the pool, the two girls landing with a splash. The boys grinned and were off like shots. Kitty surfaced just before Tabby. Amara leaned over to give them a hand out. Jean was hiding a grin, and Jamie and Scott were laughing. "That's the sort of thing I expect from high school boys, not twenty five year olds." Tabby said, squeezing her hair out.

"What would high school girls do, I wonder?" Scott wondered out loud. Tabby and Kitty were gone before the sentence was finished, and the boys pitied their friends.

Jamie sat on one of the chairs towards the diving board on the pool, away from Jean and Scott who seemed to be very busy catching up on each others lives- if staring at each other and not saying a word was talking, that is. He'd heard about those two from his friends and acquaintances of his parents that those two were crazy about each other, but neither was willing to tell in case the other didn't reciprocate the feelings. Jamie watched the two out of the corner of his eye. A few minutes later he heard the other four come running around the corner and wished he had done as Remy, Wanda, and John had- disappeared. Evan and Kurt collided with him, the three of them falling on the floor. Then the seven of them got up and brushed themselves off, the five Jamie's not noticing the stares they were getting from the others. Tabby was the first to shrug it off, having seen weirder things before. The boys suddenly noticed how close the girls had gotten and were shrinking away from them in fear when Remy and Wanda appeared. 

"Everyone alive?" Most nodded, Evan and Kurt were too scared to move.

"Sober?" Remy paused. "Close enough. What we are about to do is very dangerous and very profitable. If that isn't your particular brand of vodka, you can stay over tonight and leave tomorrow, no hard feelings. If it is, come inside." He turned and left, the others following him. Jamie stayed outside, looking over the now empty backyard and considering his next move. Wanda saw him and walked over. "You're Bobby Maddrox's kid, right?" He nodded, not sure what to say to her. "You like Chicago? Hear it's nice this time of year." he nodded again. "Oh goodie." she said, sarcasm dripping from her words. "Now get in the goddamn house." He ran, finding that his next move had already been made for him.

Remy looked around the room, noting that everyone had entered. He motioned John to start the slide, then had to hit him on the shoulder, as he was too busy playing with his lighter. "Ouch! What was that for mate?" Remy looked at him. John shook his head and reached for the slide remote. Clicking it on, he started staring at Amara, who was bored and using some of her fire to circle around her. Remy leaned down and smacked him on the back of the head, and he started paying attention again.

"This is the Bellagio." Remy told the others. _*click*_ "And this is the Bellagio's vault, which we are going to break into."

"Smash and grab." Jamie said.

"It's more complicated then that."

"Well, yeah." Jamie said. "Obviously."

"We have to get through the cages, which is going to take more than a pretty face. Then down the elevator, which can only be moved by vocal and retina recognition-"

"Which we can't fake." John put in.

"And if we try to manually override it, we get locked into it until casino personnel show up. But after dat is the easy part. Just two guys with Uzis and de most elaborate vault door ever created by man or mutant."

"We also have to get in there without being seen by the cameras." John added.

"T'anks mon ami, forgot 'bout dat." Remy said.

"But here's de good news- de law says they have to have enough cash and coin in dere to cover every chip on the floor. Not a whole lot during the week, but on fight nights at Pietro's casino there's 160 million, easy."

"Any questions?" he asked. They all shook their heads.

~~~

"First order of bus'ness." Remy told them. "Know who y're dealing wit'. Dat means, Evan, dat we need to know everyt'ing about ev'ryone workin' at de casino. Y' got y'r work cut out for y'." Evan nodded in understanding.

Evan settled in his seat at the casino table. These guys didn't have a clue how to play and the house was winning all the time. He didn't notice the woman walking by until she sat down at the table. She waited until the current round was over, then placed five hundred chips on the table and watched as Evan dealt her in. When her turn came around she put one card down and picked another up out of the deck, placing another hundred chip on the pile. Three of the players folded, with the remaining two and Evan staying in. Three turns later, the pot was much bigger and there was only the woman and another man left in the game. Her turn and she upped the ante again, the last person dropping out. She gathered the chips and started to get up when Evan flipped her cards over. She had a pair of twos, while the last guy had had a straight. Evan whistled to himself. She knew how to bluff, that was for sure. He stole a look at her and caught a glimpse of white before she turned completely and all her say was the back of her auburn hair. The table left and new people replaced them, and Evan was too busy to think about her much.

~~~

"Okay, we need to build an exact replica of the Bellagio's vault." Remy said, catching the bundle of materials John tossed at him.

"Practice?" Amara asked.

"...Something like dat."

~~~

"Kurt, Kitty, transportation." Remy told them. "You up to it?"

"You betcha," Kitty said, winking. "Come on Blue Boy, let's get this party started." She grabbed his waist.

"Wait!" The two looked expectantly at Remy. "Don't forget- vans."

Kurt gave a three fingered wave and the two *Bamf*-ed out. 

"I'm gonna regret this," Remy said to thin air.

Kurt and Kitty landed in a car lot. "So, which one do you like better?" Kitty asked, pointing at two different vans.

"Well, they both have large-" Kitty smacked Kurt's head.

"Finish that sentence and you're a dead elf."

"I was just going to say they both had large engines," he protested. "Hey let's get both!"

"Deal," Kitty said. "You take the far one, I'll take this. Keys will be under the floor mat on the passengers side."

"How do you know that?" Kurt asked.

"Duh. I'm a female criminal."

"Oh."

At 2 am that morning, John was roused from a rather nice dream about his fire princess by wild hoots and squealing tires. "What the hell…?" he said to himself. Getting out of bed, he went to his window and peered out. He saw two white vans crisscrossing across the large driveway, heading for the garage. Groaning, he flung the curtain shut and went back to bed, his pillow clenched firmly over his ears.

On the other side of Wanda's mansion, Remy to was woken by the noise. Cursing a blue streak, he ran downstairs in his houserobe and reached the garage just as the Kurt and Kitty did. He waited for them to get out of the vans, then started laying into them.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" he asked them furiously. "Do you want to get us all thrown in jail before this heist even gets started? You're lucky the cops haven't showed up!"

"It wasn't luck," Kitty said indignantly. "We only went crazy out in the desert, and then here." 

"Twice?" Remy's eyebrows shot up. It was NOT a good look for him.

Kurt moved closer to Kitty. "Chill Remy. You'd think you've forgotten what it's like to be a young thief."

"I've been a t'ief my whole life," Remy growled. "Ain't no way I could ever forget that. Now get in the house, and if you pull another stunt like this…" Remy didn't get to finish his sentence before Kurt and Kitty disappeared. He slumped against one of the vans. "Why do I feel like a father?" He asked himself. He then looked up to the sky. "Why me?"

~~~

"Alright Jamie, there's only one guy who knows the codes as soon as they are changed." John told him the next day as they were building their vault. 

"Who, Maximoff?" Jamie asked, startled.

"Right. Learn to love his shadow." John informed him.

"What, all I get to do is watch the guy?" Jamie pouted.

"Gotta walk before you can crawl." John said. Remy gave him a look.

"Switch that," was all Remy said before heading over to oversee another part of the operation.

"Hey Red, how's it coming?" Remy leaned up against the doorway.

"It's not the least accessible system I've ever seen, but it's close." Jean told him. "I don't suppose there's a closer access feed I could tape into?"

John showed up behind Remy and shook his head no.

"Then it's a black bag job. Do they employ and in house technicians?"

"Two. And one of 'ems lonely." John said.


	3. Complications

Reviews:

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Kitrazzle Fayn: Thanks for the review and the compliments. And the chapters will be coming out faster from now on. We're working on the fourth as your reading. It's just that KittKatt001 is in France right now, and there's a horrible time difference. I know that sounds like an excuse, and it probably is one, but just so you know why it took so long. But it won't again. Promise. Cross our hearts and hope to die.

****

Nuit: Watch for her! She's in this chappie!

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Jess: Thanks for the advice! We took it! Here's a cookie!

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To everybody else: Thanks for the reviews! We appreciate them!

"You've got to be kidding me." Jean said, staring at the outfit John was handing her. "_Please_ tell me you're kidding." John just grinned.

~~~

Jean was wearing a short white skirt, a nurse's hat, and a completely sheer shirt with crosses over her breasts. "I am _not_ going out in public wearing this!"

"Ya look nice Red." John said.

"I look like a _hooker_!" she snapped.

"Y' say that like it's a bad thing." Remy told her. He backed up quickly as she glared at him. "Kidding, Kidding. Merde Jeannie, can't y' take a joke?" he held his hands up in front of him.

Scott stuck his head in.

"Hey Remy-" his eyes bulged out. "Whoa! Jean, what are you wearing?"

Jean grabbed John's coat and slipped it on over top of her outfit. "It was all his idea." She said, pointing at John.

"You look, uhh, nice." Scott said. "Excuse me, I have to go." And he ducked out the door. Remy had a positively evil smile on his face.

"Time t' start Jeannie."

Jean leaned over and whispered something in the man's ear. He was so intoxicated by both her perfume and the alcohol that he didn't notice her slip off his security tag. She headed towards the door and John, who was waiting at the car.

"Here." She said.

"I'll be back with it in an hour." He promised. "Thanks Jean."

"Wait- you want me to stay here with _him_ for another hour?" she asked incredulously.

"Yeah."

Jean trudged in the door, still wearing the outfit that John had somehow procured for her, and steaming.

"Do you know how many guys tried to hit on me, steal a kiss, or try to convince me to come up to their room?" she demanded of Remy. "That is the last time I ever help you out if it doesn't involve computers."

"Well den Jeannie, y'll be p'rfectly happy, 'cause you don't need to leave the hotel room any more. But only b'cause y' can't actually install y'r bug y'rself, as the guards have already met you." Jean shrugged. "Well, that's not my fault. You could have had Amara do it."

"Ah, but de fille have a temper. B'sides, y'r good at it."

She raised her eyebrows. "I'm going to take that as a compliment, because if I didn't, I'd have to hurt you." Remy just grinned.

"Go change b'fore y' give anyone a nose bleed." He suggested. She blushed.

~~~

Kurt was carrying a bunch of balloons into the casino, courtesy of John. Approaching the camera, he purposefully "bumped" into one of Jamie's disguised clones, one of the many who had been scooping out the casino.

"Hey, watch where you're going pal!"

"Who're you calling pal, buddy?" Kurt growled.

"Who're you calling buddy, jackass?" the clone demanded.

"Don't call me a jackass!" Kurt gently pushed the clone so he wouldn't multiply, while still making it look like a hard shove.

"I just _did_ call you a jackass!" A security guard quickly came over and tried to break the two of them up, therefore never noticing Scott, without his inducer, slip into the technician's entrance. He followed the map and ended up in the control room. Following the instructions Jean had given him earlier, he found the right wire after a few tries and attached their GPS piggyback device. Jean and Remy, watching from the hotel room, breathed a sigh of relief as the screens came on, displaying all the security monitors. Scott quickly headed back the way he came, forgetting the device there. He reached the intersection and realised his map was smudged. He turned a random way before Jean's voice echoed in his head. _*No Scott! To the left, not the right!*_ he quickly changed his direction. Remy sighed in relief. There was one more minor incident where Scott almost had a heart attack when another casino personnel ran up with the GPS, but managed to make it back alive, intact and undetected.

Meanwhile, on Kurt's end of things…

"Look, I have a very important client waiting for these balloons."

"Ha! You're a balloon boy!" Jamie's clone crowed.

"Break it up before I escort you from the premises." The guard said stiffly.

"Fine, fine. I've had enough trouble without getting involved with you two animals." Kurt grumbled, grabbing the string of balloons, while they bobbed merrily behind him as he made a dignified retreat from the casino. After all, his current job was done.

~~~

Wanda and Remy were sitting in the suite's living room as they had some tailors in to adjust Scott's suit to fit. Wanda leaned over to him.

"Is he okay to do this?"

"We find out in a minute, chére." He told her. He shooed the tailors out and walked up to Scott.

"Y' up to dis, mon ami?"

Scott glared at him. "You ask me that question again Gumbo, you won't wake up the following morning."

"He's ready." Remy told Wanda, grinning despite the death threat.

~~~

My name is Lyman Zerga. My name is Lyman Zerga. Scott practised in his head. _Man, why do I have to be some old fart while everybody else get to look like themselves? Remy must have something against me._ Scott turned to Kitty and Kurt, who were carrying his luggage. _Well, there are some perks._ He decided as he waved them to follow him as he stepped into the elevator that would take him to his room. He realised something and grinned evilly. _The mini-bar._ Scott could just picture the look on Pietro's face when he realised that Zerga had a few thousand dollars in unpaid fees when the job was done.

~~~

Amara watched as Evan and Jean, as well as Tabby, worked on the layouts of the Bellagio's vault. Jean had been in charge of getting a readable map for all of them to base the design off of. She had offered to help, but Jean declined, saying that she should study the blueprints herself in order to plan a way to get from the center of the room to the door without touching the floor. It seemed simple enough, but she had learned long ago not to overestimate herself. Well, after a few incidents. She hadn't _really_ meant to climb the high wire when she was seven and try to get across, only avoiding serious injury because her best friend had been watching and was able to catch her. Okay, so she had, but it was all in the past? And what better way to learn than from mistakes you yourself have made? She sighed and turned back to the blueprints.

~~~

Jamie watched as Scott, Kitty and Kurt passed him. He placed his newspaper down as well as his coffee cup, seeing Pietro enter. He rose quickly, glad to have the wig and glasses on. His clones were reporting to him even now- he did have a useful power, as he could keep in contact with all of them, all the time. Only problem was finding enough different disguises without making them obvious. He sighed again since getting this assignment. Sure, he got to relax- sort of, while everyone was working, but he'd rather have a more challenging role in the whole operation. How was spying on Pietro going to help him at all? It was baby stuff. This wasn't going to help him get out of his father's "shadow". Had Remy been lying about that particular bit? He quickly decided against it. Remy knew how it felt, as he had been living in Jean-Luc's until he passed away about five years ago. Jamie saw Pietro's elevator coming down and realised he was late to his meeting with John.

~~~

Jamie managed to arrive at the meeting point just thirty seconds before John arrived. John sank into the chair beside him, looking like he was about to get a headache. Then John blinked, and he was fine. He leant back in the chair and cast an uninterested look in Pietro's direction. "Tell me about him." He asked Jamie

"The guy's a machine." Jamie said. "He gets here at two thirty p.m. sharp, everyday. Same car, same driver. Says hello to _everyone_ on the way in. Knows all their names and asks about kids if they've got them. Not bad for a guy worth three-quarters of a billion dollars. Spends most of the day up there, comes down at seven to talk to his manager. It's always strictly business, and then Pietro goes and glad-hands all the high rollers. He knows Spanish, German, Italian and he's taking Japanese lessons. He's getting pretty good. Then he goes out to the car and gets a black portfolio, containing the day's take and new security codes. Two minutes after they're changed; he's got them in his hands." He paused. "Are you sure about this? Did you hear about the last guy they caught cheating here? They put him away for ten years, had the bank seize his house, and bankrupted-"

"His brother in law's tractor company." John finished.

"The guy doesn't just go after you. He goes after your lively hood and the lively hood of anyone you've ever met."

"You scared?"

"You suicidal?" Jamie countered.

"Only in the morning." John replied, not managing to keep a straight face.

Jamie glanced at his watch and grinned. "Now it's the best part of my day." He said. "His girl comes down from the museum upstairs."

~~~

She was talking to one of the benefactors of the museum about a new piece he had just delivered when Pietro entered. He stayed back for a few minutes, just watching her. Her eyes lit up at the mention of her work, the sparkle lighting up him as well. She was a beautiful specimen, that he had to admit. Her hair was a lovely auburn, except for her bangs, which were an ethereal white and made her face more angelic. She was a refreshing breath of fresh air after a day filled with stuffy numbers and haughty people who thought they were better than everyone else was because they were winning. He moved forward as the benefactor left, standing beside her silently. She turned slightly so that she could see him better.

"Ya lahke it?" she asked the man beside her.

"I like it if you like it." He replied, a faint smile appearing on his lips. The girl smiled at him, and moved closer to Pietro. He took a step back, an ironic grin twisting his features. "On my hotel, someone's always watching." He said, pointing at the corner, where a security camera rested. She stepped back reluctantly. "Seven thirty?" he asked. She nodded, a smile once again appearing on her lips.

"See ya then sugah." She said as he left as silently and suddenly as he had appeared.

~~~

"Who's the girl?" John asked.

"Dunno. Never caught her name. She does have the most amazing hair though. I swear it's natural but I've never seen anyone with those colours before."

John's stomach started to sink.

"Here she comes." Jamie said, staring up the stairs. John's gaze followed his. The woman was wearing an amazing red dress, managing to carry off the sexy/innocent look perfectly. It was a modest cut, showing off just enough of her chest, with a flared bottom, one end at her knees and the other at her ankle. There was a delicate chain around her neck, showing off a red rose charm. Her eyes sparkled in the light, making it seem like they were two precious stones. Her hair was swept up in an elegant ponytail, leaving the bangs to frame her face. John froze and quickly turned away before she recognised him. _Oh shit, it's-_

"Marie…" he didn't even notice he said it out loud until Jamie turned to him after Marie passed.

"What did you say?"

"Marie. Her name is Marie."


	4. The Girls

Hey guys, we're finally back! Sorry about the wait. It's been a bit hard for me to write this chapter, cause I don't really want to change anything accidentally. My sister, on the other hand, is on fire. She's been so great with this chapter. So, review responses.

JYNX': No worries about us abandoning the story. We'd never do that.

To everyone whose ever asked us if this is going to be a romy: Of course it is!

And thanks to all of you who have stayed with us through the long wait!

The Girls

"Tell me it's not about her!" John demanded, dragging Remy away from the others and speaking a low, rough, voice.

"About who?" Remy asked, confused.

"Rogue, Marie, whatever you call her, dammit!" John swore. "Tell me it's not about her or I'm walking."

"It's not about her." Remy said weakly. "It's not entirely about her." He amended at John's glare.

"Dammit Remy! Now we're taking two things." John put his hand to his forehead and walked in a circle agitatedly. "And when push comes to shove, what are you going to pick? And remember, Rogue doesn't split eleven ways!"

Remy looked at him seriously. "If this goes according to plan, I'm not going to have to make that decision." He paused. "Remember when we started? We said we'd play like we had nothing to lose. Well, I lost something. Someone."

"You better be right about this." John told him. "You better be right."

---

Remy walked into the restaurant, immediately spotting her. Walking over to the table, he put a hand on her shoulder. A smile played across her face as she turned towards him. "You're thirty seconds late. I was about to send out a-" she noticed who she was talking to. "A search party." She finished belatedly.

"Bonjour Marie."

"It's Rogue!" she snapped. "What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"Remy's out."

"Out?"

"Of prison. Didn't you notice the night I went out for cigarettes and never came back?"

"I don't smoke. Don't sit!"

Too late.

"They say Remy's paid his debt to society."

"Funny," she said venomously, aiming to wound "I never got a check."

Remy ignored the last comment and had picked up her left hand, studying it. "Where's your ring?"

"I sold it." She snapped. "I don't have a husband. Didn't you get the papers?"

The hurt in his eyes was unmistakable for one fraction of a second, before being covered over by his flawless mask. "Last day inside."

"Told ya Ah'd write."

"Remy'll make this quick chére. He's moving on wit' his life, wants y' wit' him."

"You're a thief and a liar."

"Only lied 'bout being a t'ief. An' Remy's stopped."

"Stealing?"

"Lyin'."

"Argh!" Rogue growled.

---

Scott was talking to Pietro, after having talked to his casino manager, saying that there was something important he wanted to ask of Mr. Maximoff.

"The fight is on Saturday, is it not?" he asked.

"Would you like me to get you some tickets?" Pietro asked courteously.

"No. Frankly, hand-to-hand combat is a bit vulgar for my tastes." He grinned in his head at the veiled insult. "I have a briefcase arriving that night, a black one, whose contents are very dear to me."

"We have the house safe."

"If you'll excuse me Mr. Maximoff, the house safe is for brandy and grandmother's pearls. I'm looking for something a little more…secure."

---

"Those people ya steal from, they have insurance. They get made whole again. How am Ah supposed ta get my five years back?"

"You can't. But please chére, not with him."

"Spoken like a true ex-husband." Rogue looked at him. "Ah know this is hard for ya ta understand, but try and get your tiny brain around it. _Ah'm with Pietro now._"

"Does he make y' laugh?" he asked, red eyes burning.

"He doesn't make me cry." She watched as he got up and flicked a card, one that landed at her feet. She bent and quickly scooped it up, noticing that it was the Ace of Spades. She shivered slightly. It was a promise, then, what he'd said earlier. He was claiming her as his. Well, he could try, but she hadn't been his _property_ five years ago and she sure as hell wasn't going to up and leave what she had worked so hard to rebuild after that fiasco. She was so engrossed in her thoughts she didn't notice Pietro walking up behind her.

"What's that?" he asked.

"Oh- just somethin' from Remy." She replied. "Mah ex." She clarified when he looked confused. "He just got out. Of jail."

"Ah." Pietro said. "And was it a pleasant reunion?"

She wrinkled her nose. "Nah."

He smiled reassuringly at her. "How about I make it up to you later?" Rogue wished he were this romantic all the time, but half the time he was at his "baby", and the other he was busy fixing things. Romantic times were few and far between, unlike when she'd been with- she cut that train of thought off. _Ya went down tha road seven years ago._ She chastised herself. _And just look where it got ya. Stay out of there for yer own safety._

_---_

Tabby was playing with the crystals that she was going to use to blow the vault door open when the lights flickered out. She had been watching the TV as Pietro was demolishing another building that he'd forced out of business. She swore and ran out of the room, putting the "Do Not Disturb" sign up.

---

Remy was watching Rogue as she stood next to Pietro on stage, staring so intently he didn't notice the person behind him.

---

Tabby glanced around the corner of the sewer tunnel and swore. Those idiots! They just had to go and blow the fuse the day before the heist! And now those stupid technicians were _fixing_ it. She shrugged and stepped under the lamp, startling the young technicians.

"Hey boys, time to say good night." With that she released her cherry bombs and the three of them collapsed, unconscious. She quickly fiddled with the wires and put them back in their original positions, so that she could still pull the plug the way she planned. Without turning, she reached down for one of the guard's radios so she could tell the casino everything was fixed. Her fingers didn't hit cloth when they were supposed to. She frowned and turned around, nearly jumping out of her skin.

"Well, you guys get around, don'tcha?" she said. The woman stepped forward.

"Hello BoomBoom."

"Callisto." Tabby replied coolly. They'd never really got along when they were younger, probably because Callisto had thought that Tabby had had a crush on Evan. Tabby scoffed inwardly at the thought. Then she paused. She _had_ sort of like Evan back then- but things change in ten years.

"Need some help?" Tabby was shocked out her thoughts. The Morlocks were going to help her? The group had always disliked the "above-grounders", thinking that they weren't real thieves. Hey, just because they wanted to live like street rats didn't mean she wanted to.

"Umm…sure." Tabby replied. "I need someone to radio in that it's all fixed down here, and it needs to be a guy. And I need somewhere to stash these guys for a few hours until I can get Jean to wipe their memories of me."

Callisto nodded to the others. One of them- Scaleface, picked up the radio and told them it was 'all good down here boss' while the others removed the technicians.

"Thanks." Tabby told Callisto.

"Tell Evan we say hello." Callisto said in answer, before her and her group disappeared. Tabby stared after them for a few minutes before heading for the manhole she had come down.

---

Tabby was cursing under her breath as she stormed into the warehouse that was their head of operations. Amara was the first one to notice her and stopped dead after one of the flips she had to do in order to reach the vault door.

"Sorry 'Mara." Tabby said, stripping off her shirt, as it smelt like sewer waste. "We got a problem guys."

"What? The heist is tomorrow!" John said.

"Yeah well, I managed to fix it. Almost. Jean, there are a few guys down in the sewer- I need you to wipe their memories about this afternoon and make them think they fixed the wires."

"How am I supposed to find them down there?" Jean asked.

"Oh, right. They're with the Morlocks. Seems like we're not the only ones who like Vegas this time of year." Tabby, just in her bra, was rummaging around in the bags that the other's had brought, looking for a shirt that would fit her, so she didn't notice the surprised looks.

"Thanks Tabby, got them." Jean told her when she turned back around, decked out in one of Scott's shirts.

"Great." Tabby said. "Thanks for the shirt Scooter, I'll return it after I get back to the hotel and have a shower. I reek."

"Uh, welcome." Scott told her.

"Later!" Tabby said, exiting the warehouse.

"Okay 'Mara, one more time." John told her.

---

Tabby jumped when there was a knock on the door.

"Evan!" She said angrily when she opened the door. "Don't do that! You're gonna give someone a fucking heart attack!"

"Sorry. Just wanted to come and see how you were doing. Whatcha thinking about?"

Tabby grabbed a towel and tried to dry her hair. "I was just thinking about why Callisto and I didn't get along." Tabby answered Evan.

"You never told me." He replied. "Why was it?" He had moved closer on the bed, and Tabby suppressed a blush at his closeness.

"Um…, it's not really all that important." Tabby replied.

"Come on Tabs, you can tell me." He said.

"Well, you know," her voice faded. "That's all." She finished.

"What's all?" Evan said, blinking. He turned to look at her and Tabby was nervous at how close they were. She turned away abruptly and managed to whack Evan in the face with her hair, which was still wet with sewer water.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Evan asked, using a towel to dry his face.

"Think of it as payback for the pool." Tabby said flippantly. "I'm having a shower, so go away."

"I'll see you at dinner then." Evan said. "Later Tabs."

---

Just go up to her Summers, and say- aw hell! Admit it, you've always liked her and what you saw yesterday was just confirming it- and how much you want to get to her before somebody else. Scott sighed. Arguing with yourself was pointless- how could you lose an argument with yourself?

"Hey Jean?" he called as she was leaving the building.

"Yeah Scott?" she asked, turning.

"I was, well, you know, going to get a drink later, if you'd like to, um, come."

"Sure." She smiled. "I'd love to."

Two soft snickers came out of a nearby bush, unheard by the new couple. Yellow eyes turned to face blue eyes.

"So, something finally happens between them." Kitty said softly.

"Bout damn time." Kurt snorted. "From what I've heard and seen, they've been heading down this road for a loooooong time."

Kitty nodded her head in agreement. "Come on Fuzzy, let's go." She gently grabbed the front of his shirt and walked backwards out of the bush, and into the hotel.

---

Jamie was walking through the main suite they were staying in when he heard a noise coming from one of the closets. Thinking it was a mouse or something, he opened the door. And- "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" Jamie was now scarred for life, and he bolted out of the hotel room, out of the hotel even. It was a miracle he didn't run into anyone on his way out. From the hotel room closet, a muffled curse echoed, followed by an 'oops'.

---

Remy called a meeting later that night, just to run over the details again. Much to everyone's amusement, Jamie could not meet Kitty's or Kurt'- eyes. Just as the meeting was about to get underway, Jamie noticed something, and piped up.

"Where's Scott?" Ah, the innocence of children.

Tabby looked around the room. "Yeah, I haven't seen Red either."

Just then, Scott burst into the room, his face red, hair mussed, and clothes slightly dishevelled. The room went silent, and everyone looked at Scott, and Scott looked at everyone. Twenty seconds later, the room was still deadly silent, and Jean had come rushing into the room, Her face was red, her hair mussed, and her shirt was on backwards. Again, everyone looked at Jean, and Jean looked at everyone. And then they looked at Scott. Then at Jean. Then Scott. Then Jean. Then- well, you get the picture. Someone was heard talking from the back of the room.

"Wow, Scooter finally got laid." A small red laser beam came shooting towards Tabby, who dove out of the way just in time. A spike came flying towards Scott, but a well-timed psychic shield deflected it.

"Woah!" Remy stepped into the middle. "No fighting. We have big plans tomorrow. Afterwards, you can fight as much as you like." A general grumbling was heard, but nobody tried anything. Evan went over to Tabby and help out a hand to help her up.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for your help back there."

Evan shrugged. "No big. Anytime."

"Okay, not to break up the love fest here," Remy glanced over at Jean and Scott, Kurt and Kitty, Evan and Tabby, and John and Amara . "But we do have work to do here."

Wanda looked at Jamie. "Guess you and I are the only sane ones here." Jamie nodded his agreement, although he wasn't sure about Wanda's sanity… especially when concerning her brother. But it was safer to agree with her. They stayed in the room to discuss for a little bit longer, then went off to their own rooms. Jamie had ended up sharing a room with Kurt and John, and desperately hoped that nothing-odd would be happening that night. He had enough to worry about as it was.

---

The next morning greeted them with bad news. "You've been red flagged." Jean informed Remy as he walked into the room.

"I've been what?"

"Red flagged. That means that as soon as you set foot downstairs, they're going to be watching you like hawks. Like hawks with video cameras." Remy rolled his eyes at the last part. _Hones'ly…_

"Any idea why?" Jean's voice broke into his thoughts.

Remy shook his head no. Could this be about the other night?

"Sure he does," Jamie scoffed from the other side of the room. Remy's head swivelled to look at the kid. "He was talking to Pietro's girl the other night, and it didn't look like a happy chat. She looked pretty pissed off afterwards, and I bet that's why he got red flagged."

"How did you know about that?" Remy demanded.

"I was following you," Jamie said nonchalantly.

"Why were you following me?"

"I told him to," John appeared through the doorway.

"Why did you do that?" Remy asked, his voice full of anger.

"I was worried about Rogue. About Marie. I wasn't sure if it would affect you, but it did. Sorry Rem, you're out."

"He's out?" Wanda gasped.

"Wait, who's Marie?' Jean asked.

"His wife," John replied.

"My ex-wife," Remy retorted.

"You're off the job Remy. I can't risk you jeopardising the entire operation."

Remy was silent for a moment, then swore and stormed out of the room, his trench coat sweeping out behind him. The room remained silent for a minute, then chatter broke out.

"Marie is with Pietro now?"

"She's too tall for him."

"How can Remy be out?"

"Vho is going to trigger ze vault?"

John held up his hand to staunch the flow of questions. "Kid," he addressed Jamie without looking at him. "You up for it?"

Jamie managed a tiny "Yes."

"Good. Go change into a suit and meet me back here in 15 minutes, got it?" Jamie hurried out of the room.


End file.
